Dec. 21-27, 2020
2 feature games this week between some big time teams. Let's get to it:
12/21/20-
Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) @
UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- All you need to know about this game is that there were 51 fouls called, and 60 free throws shot. Unfortunately, Kentucky shot 42 of those free throws, making more than UCLA attempted. That's never a good sign.
Final Score: Kentucky- 96, UCLA- 83
12/27/20-
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) @
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- While neither team took care of the ball well, and both teams lived and died by the three pointer, the Cardinal made just a few more of those treys to get a big road victory after trailing by 5 at halftime.
Final Score: Stanford- 76, Michigan State- 62
Now we go to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 8-2, 0-0 America East.
12/23/20 vs. Montana (W 81-57).
Just 1 game this week for the Hawks, and it was an easy win as they start conference play next week.
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 6-6, 1-0 American.
12/21/20 at Maryland Eastern Shore (L 70-60).
12/23/20 vs. Houston (W 58-52).
Another embarrassing loss for the Huskies, losing to Maryland Eastern Shore, but at least they got off to a good start in conference play, breaking a 4 game losing streak.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 6-5, 0-0 American.
12/21/20 vs. Virginia Tech (W 76-71).
12/25/20 vs. #7 Providence (L 69-60).
A split for the Pirates, who continue to play better basketball, giving Providence a good game and beating VA Tech.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 5-4, 0-0 American.
12/22/20 vs. New Orleans (W 90-56).
12/26/20 at Lamar (L 72-69).
Tough split for the Golden Hurricane, who blew a lead late at Lamar. They'll be kicking themselves for that.
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 8-3, 0-0 ACC.
12/21/20- Diamond Head Classic First Round vs. (6) #4 Western Michigan (L 78-74).
12/22/20- Diamond Head Classic Consolation Game vs. (7) St. Louis (W 72-67).
12/24/20- Diamond Head Classic 5th Place Game vs. (8) Stephen F. Austin (W 82-69).
So that Western Michigan team that the Blue Devils were worried about proved to be tough, but still, 2 out of 3 and a 5th place finish isn't bad. Not where they want to be though, not yet.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 9-2, 0-0 Big 12.
12/23/20 vs. Arizona State (W 80-62).
Just 1 game this week for the Horned Frogs, but it was another impressive victory, and that makes 5 in a row.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 6-4, 0-0 Big Ten.
12/21/20 vs. North Dakota (W 47-39).
12/24/20 vs. Jacksonville (W 80-48).
12/27/20 vs. Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
2 out of 3 for the Spartans, and look at that low scoring defensive effort against North Dakota. They still have some work to do though.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 4-7, 0-0 Big Ten.
No games this week for Coach Vee and the Wildcats, who are looking at a hard week of practice.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 5-7, 0-0 Big West.
12/25/20 at Butler (W 56-45).
12/27/20 at Kent State (L 81-75).
A split for the Warriors, as the win at Butler is a mild upset. They couldn't compound it though as Kent State got the better of them.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 7-4, 0-0 Conference USA.
12/22/20 vs. Texas Southern (W 71-67).
12/25/20 at UMKC (W 82-74).
12/27/20 at Ole Miss (L 89-62).
Another 2 out of 3 ain't bad week for one of our teams. Sadly, their toughest competition of the week was a game they were never really in.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 6-6, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/23/20 vs. Miami (L 73-65).
Just 1 game for the Buffaloes this week, who lost to a very good Miami team that has beaten Arizona this season and should probably be ranked.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 5-5, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/23/20 at N.C. State (W 88-77).
12/27/20 at Michigan State- feature game, highlighted above.
Great week for the Cardinal, who beat 2 power conference teams to get back to .500.
UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 8-3, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/21/20 vs. Kentucky- feature game, highlighted above.
12/23/20 vs. Dartmouth (W 62-47).
A split for the Bruins this week, who break a brief 2 game losing streak with the win over Dartmouth.
#19 Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 9-2, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/23/20 vs. FIU (L 74-69).
12/25/20 vs. Portland State (W 70-49).
12/27/20 at Utah State (W 73-64).
So the Cougars lose a tough one against a good FIU team, but they held their own. Nice bounce back wins, especially at Utah State.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 7-4, 0-0 SEC.
12/21/20- Las Vegas Classic Semifinal vs. (6) Penn State (L 90-77).
We figured the Crimson Tide were going to bite the dust sooner or later, they had been flirting with losses to subpar opponents their last 3 games. Still, losing to a team like Penn State isn't bad, at least this season.
Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 6-4, 0-0 SEC.
12/21/20 at UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
12/25/20 at Minnesota (L 92-66).
Well, a crazy week at best for the Wildcats, as they win a tough one against UCLA, then get absolutely hammered by Minnesota.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 6-5, 2-2 Sun Belt.
12/24/20 at UT Arlington (L 70-68).
12/26/20 at Georgia Southern (W 78-73).
Another conference split this week for the Trojans, who are just 4 points away from being 4-0 in conference. Both losses were on the road, but really, this conference is just wide open. Should be anyways.
Let's take a look at the nation top 25 for the week of Dec. 28, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Wisconsin (71) 11-0 1799 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Louisville (1) 11-1 1728 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Illinois 11-1 1653 3 Big Ten Conference
4. Georgetown 10-2 1551 6 Big East Conference
5. Iowa 9-1 1491 10 Big Ten Conference
6. Baylor 10-2 1297 5 Big 12 Conference
7. Arkansas 9-1 1290 11 Southeastern Conference
8. UAB 10-1 1182 18 Conference USA
9. Boise State 10-2 1160 17 Mountain West Conference
10. Oklahoma 7-2 1157 15 Big 12 Conference
11. Villanova 9-2 1093 24 Big East Conference
12. Belmont 11-1 1082 14 Ohio Valley Conference
13. Rhode Island 9-1 942 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Quinnipiac 11-1 924 21 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
15. Syracuse 8-2 888 20 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Minnesota 9-2 699 NR Big Ten Conference
17. Colorado State 8-1 608 NR Mountain West Conference
18. Providence 10-2 596 7 Big East Conference
19. Penn State 9-2 499 NR Big Ten Conference
20. Mississippi 9-2 338 NR Southeastern Conference
21. TCU 9-2 321 NR Big 12 Conference
22. Georgia State 11-2 299 8 Horizon League
23. San Diego State 10-2 267 NR Mountain West Conference
24. Western Michigan 10-2 136 4 Mid-American Conference
25. Harvard 11-2 77 NR Ivy League
Others Receiving Votes:
Ohio State 7-3 70 Big Ten Conference
William & Mary 9-2 34 Colonial Athletic Association
Washington State 9-2 32 Pacific-12 Conference
Rutgers 9-2 31 Big Ten Conference
UC Santa Barbara 9-2 26 Big West Conference
Indiana 8-2 24 Big Ten Conference
Auburn 8-2 23 Southeastern Conference
Marquette 9-2 19 Big East Conference
Oregon State 9-2 19 Pacific-12 Conference
Middle Tennessee 9-2 15 Conference USA
UC Irvine 8-2 11 Big West Conference
Mercer 9-2 10 Southern Conference
Wichita State 10-3 9 Missouri Valley Conference
What a crazy, crazy season it's been so far. Of all the teams we expect to see in the top 25 every week (Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, Michigan State) none are there. But TCU is, and Washington State is still receiving votes. Crazy.
Now for the mid-major top 25 for the week of Dec. 28, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. UAB (38) 10-1 1755 4 Conference USA
2. Boise State (28) 10-2 1705 7 Mountain West Conference
3. Belmont 11-1 1659 5 Ohio Valley Conference
4. Rhode Island (6) 9-1 1604 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Quinnipiac 11-1 1507 10 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
6. Georgia State 11-2 1369 2 Horizon League
7. Colorado State 8-1 1349 11 Mountain West Conference
8. San Diego State 10-2 1320 12 Mountain West Conference
9. Western Michigan 10-2 1168 1 Mid-American Conference
10. Harvard 11-2 1076 14 Ivy League
11. Wichita State 10-3 1031 20 Missouri Valley Conference
12. UC Santa Barbara 9-2 1021 13 Big West Conference
13. William & Mary 9-2 1001 6 Colonial Athletic Association
14. Mercer 9-2 895 9 Southern Conference
15. UC Irvine 8-2 836 22 Big West Conference
16. Middle Tennessee 9-2 772 18 Conference USA
17. FIU 7-2 635 NR Conference USA
18. St. Bonaventure 6-2 635 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. SMU 9-3 470 NR American Athletic Conference
20. Hartford 8-2 398 NR America East Conference
21. Illinois State 9-3 351 NR Missouri Valley Conference
22. Pepperdine 8-3 223 NR West Coast Conference
23. Kent State 8-3 140 NR Mid-American Conference
24. La Salle 8-3 138 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Memphis 7-3 138 NR American Athletic Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Fresno State 8-3 30 Mountain West Conference
Richmond 8-3 30 Atlantic 10 Conference
Lehigh 9-3 29 Patriot League
Massachusetts 8-3 26 Atlantic 10 Conference
UTEP 6-3 22 Conference USA
Presbyterian 8-3 19 Big South Conference
Cal State Bakersfield 8-3 16 Western Athletic Conference
Loyola MD 9-3 7 Patriot League
McNeese State 8-3 5 Southland Conference
Oral Roberts 8-3 5 Summit League
South Florida 6-3 5 American Athletic Conference
Fordham 7-3 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
George Washington 6-3 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
Denver 8-3 2 Summit League
The Citadel 7-3 1 Southern Conference
Hartford is now in the mid-major top 25 and holding the fort down for the mid-major human coaches. No others even sniffed a vote.